Taxes in Portugal are levied by both the national and regional governments of Portugal. Tax revenue in Portugal stood at 34.9% of GDP in 2018. The most important revenue sources include the income tax, social security contributions, corporate tax and the value added tax, which are all applied at the national level.
Employment income earned is subject to a progressive income tax, which applies to all who are in the workforce. Furthermore, a long list of tax allowances can be deducted, including a general deduction, health expenses, life and health insurance, and education expenses. The personal income taxation system is as follows:
Under the Investment Tax Code, approved on September 23 2009, a new type of residency, for tax purposes was created under the Personal Income Tax Code, called non-habitual residency (NHR). This new tax residency type was created in order to attract to Portugal high-skilled professionals and pensioners obtaining foreign income.
A person, regardless of their nationality, may apply for registration as a non-habitual resident if the following conditions are fulfilled:
Under Ministerial Order issued by the Ministry of Finance, the follow jobs are subject to flat personal income tax of 20%:
The corporate tax rate applicable to companies in Portugal may vary, depending on which part of the Portuguese territory said companies are incorporated and domiciled.
Companies incorporated and headquartered in Madeira can apply for an International Business Centre (MIBC) license and, granted that they comply with substance requirements, benefit from a corporate tax rate of 5% on the taxable profit derived from economic activities engaged with non-resident entities or entities duly licensed within the MIBC.
Three different VAT rates apply: normal, intermediate and reduced. There is a general rate of 23% (normal rate) for luxury goods, decorative plants, cut flowers, utensils and other equipment for firefighting and fire prevention, followed by a reduced rate of 13% for ordinary wine, spring, mineral, medicinal and carbonated water, and tickets for cultural events. This is followed by a further reduced rate of 6% on cereals, meat, shellfish, fruit, vegetables, and other essential foods, books, newspapers, medicines, passenger transport and hotel accommodation. In 2014, the government introduced the fatura da sorte ("Lucky bill"), a lottery of tax-free cash and luxury cars awarded among consumers with VAT bills. The goal is to bring into the formal economy the many unregistered and untaxed purchases.
The VAT rates in Madeira are 22% (normal rate), 12% (intermediate rate) and 5% (reduced rate).
The Azores has lower applicable VAT rates of 16%, 9% and 4%. Businesses with revenue of less than 10,000 Euros per year are exempt from VAT.
Since a July 2007 tax reform, automobiles in Portugal pay two main taxes. The initial tax is the ISV (Imposto Sobre VeÃÂculos, tax on vehicles), and is paid when the car is first registered in Portugal. The second tax is an annual registration tax called IUC (Imposto ÃÂnico de Circulação, single tax on circulation). Earlier, the taxes consisted of Imposto Automóvel ("Automobile tax") and Imposto Municipal sobre VeÃÂculos ("Municipal tax on vehicles") and were almost exclusively applied at the time of acquisition. The current system divides the tax load between acquisition and continuous registration, while discontinuing the regional taxes.
The annual road taxes (IUC) for automobiles have been based on displacement since 1981 at least. Later on, an additional factor reflecting CO<sub>2</sub> emissions were added. Hybrids receive a discounted rate, while electric cars do not pay ISV (tax at the time of initial registration). Between 1981 and July 2007, the tax thresholds were at 1,000, 1,300, 1,750, 2,600, and 3,500 cc. As the emissions levels were given more relevance in 2007, the displacement thresholds were simplified and changed to 1,250, 1,750, and 2,500 cc.
All employment income is subject to social security contributions.